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Germany to Supply Ukraine With Domestically Made Patriot Missiles Starting From 2026
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![Photo of Maryna Kulakova]( "Photo of Maryna Kulakova")
Germany is working to establish domestic production of Patriot interceptor missiles. According to Major General Christian Freuding, the first missiles produced in Germany are expected to be ready by late 2026 or early 2027.
“We’ve started building our own production lines for these missiles in Germany,” Freuding said during a July 12 briefing in Kyiv. “The first deliveries from that line won’t come before 2026, or at best, early 2027.”
When asked whether Germany would have full discretion over the use of domestically produced missiles—particularly in supplying them to Ukraine, given the American-origin technology—Freuding confirmed that there would be no restrictions.
“It will be independent. This will be a new, European production line,” he said.
German defense company Rheinmetall and US defense contractor Lockheed Martin have agreed to establish a joint venture in Europe to produce some of the most sought-after American missile systems, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger told Hartpunkt on May 16.
The planned facility, which Papperger described as a “European center of excellence for rockets,” aims to produce up to 10,000 missiles and an equal number of rocket motors annually. Among the systems to be built are ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles (range: 300 km), GMLRS guided rockets (150 km) for HIMARS and M270 launchers, Hellfire and JAGM air-to-surface missiles, and PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot air defense systems.
Previously, during a media briefing on July 10 at the International Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Germany is prepared to fund two Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine, with Norway committing to finance another.
